This invention relates generally to wearing apparel and more specifically to a mitten which is ideally suited for cold temperatures and a method for making the mitten.
The use of mittens to maintain hand warmth in cold temperatures is well known in the art, yet mittens of the art are still lacking in their ability to maintain hand warmth in extreme cold temperatures (i.e. less than 0.degree. C.) for extended periods of time. One problem with prior art mittens is the presence of at least one seam which contacts both the interior of the mitten and the exterior of the mitten. These seams are referred to as exposed seams and the exposed seams are responsible for some loss of heat. Any loss of heat eventually allows the air inside the mitten to cool which subsequently leads to a cooling of the hand.
One way to avoid the problem of exposed seams is to construct a mitten without external seams as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,108. This process is expensive since the glove must be molded. It is well accepted in the art that a glove which can be sewn is typically less expensive to manufacture than a molded glove. Most modern fabrics and synthetic materials have temperature insulating properties which are far superior to most molded materials yet they do not readily lend themselves to a molding process.
Another mitten with a seamless exterior is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 1,053,204 yet this mitten is hardly suitable for practical use as a mitten for warmth. A user could hardly apply the second mitten and inflate without some assistance. The mitten described would also be difficult to manufacture since both the inner and outer shells would require molding.
Two mittens may be used together as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,343,566 and 1,280,421 wherein one mitten is inserted into the second mitten. Insulating material could be inserted between the outer mitten and the inner mitten yet there is no method described to keep the inner mitten from coming into contact with the outer mitten. In extreme cold temperatures the outer mitten becomes cold from contact with the air and if the inner mitten and outer mitten come into contact the temperature of the inner mitten will be decreased. Furthermore, when the hand is withdrawn the inner mitten is frequently pulled out of the outer mitten. U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,566 takes advantage of this fact since the interior of the glove can be dried in this manner. U.S. Pat. No 1,280,421 avoids this problem by stitching the inner and outer mittens together at the extreme end of the palm portion which forms an exposed seam.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,460,413 illustrates a welders mitten wherein the seam is moved to the outside and a liner is used. This mitten is designed for use when welding and is not suitable for cold weather use.
The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a mitten which can be filled with insulating material, has no exposed seams around the fingers, and can be manufactured with conventional sewing techniques. Furthermore, the mitten of the present invention will not have a lining pull out of the exterior portion when the mitten is removed.